Baghdad -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The murky abduction account of an American -- who no one appeared to even know had gone missing in Iraq until he resurfaced -- is raising questions about everything from his name to the circumstances surrounding his reported kidnapping .

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad announced in a statement Sunday that Randy Michael Hultz was in the compound , having been transferred there by United Nations officials the previous day .

The statement described Hultz as a `` private citizen '' who was in Iraq `` on private business , '' and `` not an employee or contractor of the U.S. government . ''

This characterization differs sharply from that offered in a bizarre , pre-taped news conference Saturday conducted by members of a Shiite militia loyal to radical Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr .

Reporters who had been hastily convened for the news conference , which took place outside the heavily fortified Green Zone where the U.S. Embassy is located , learned that the militia was releasing a man they said was U.S. soldier Randy Michaels .

One Sadrist lawmaker said that the man had been captured in battle nine months earlier . The man , himself , did not identify himself by name though he did say he was a former soldier who was working as a civilian when he was abducted .

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A Pentagon official insisted all active duty U.S. troops have been accounted for and no civilian was recently reported missing , and even the man 's ex-wife said she did n't know he had been kidnapped .

A U.S. official , who had knowledge of the man and had seen the video from the al-Sadr-linked militia , identified the man as Rand Michael Hultz -- a former Army soldier who served in Iraq shortly after the 2003 invasion and later returned as an `` entrepreneur . ''

The account by the official , who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the nature of the case , is supported by interviews the man gave to an Iraqi television stations in 2010 in which he identified himself as Hultz and detailed his business ventures .

During Saturday 's news conference , the man was wearing a U.S. military uniform and accompanied by two members of Sadr 's political party . The uniform , which did not feature a rank or a last name , was devoid of unit and combat patches .

The man said he had been abducted in Baghdad on June 18 , 2011 , by `` Yom al-Maoud under the direction of Sayyed Muqtada al-Sadr , '' also known as the Promised Day Brigade .

While al-Sadr had disbanded his notorious Mehdi Army in 2008 , a small group of hand-picked fighters -- known as the Promised Day Brigade -- continued attacks that primarily targeted American troops , the U.S. military has said .

Hultz said he was held in various locations across the Iraqi capital by Promised Day Brigade members .

`` It was explained to me that my release has been for more of humanitarian reasons and that there was no exchange involved , '' he said .

Hultz also told reporters that he deployed as a soldier to Iraq in June 2003 and then `` moved to a civilian capacity . ''

During the news conference , the lawmakers produced what appeared to be the man 's U.S. military identification card and U.S. contractor ID card .

Maha al-Douri , a lawmaker and a member of the al-Sadr movement , said at the news conference that the man had been in captivity for nine months , consistent with the reported June 2011 abduction date .

Al-Sadr 's party was a middleman between the Promised Day Brigade and the United Nations to facilitate the man 's release , according to al-Douri .

The U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq simply said two lawmakers -- al Douri and Quasay al-Suhail -- handed over an American citizen , who was then transferred to the U.S. Embassy .

Bahaa al-Aaraji , the head of Sadr 's Ahrar political bloc , said the man was `` captured in battles '' but had no further information . He called the release a goodwill gesture to the American people following the withdrawal of U.S. troops .

Besides the fact the Pentagon says no U.S. troops are missing in Iraq , the website of the Defense Prisoner Of War and Missing Personnel Office on Saturday listed three Defense Department contractors as missing . Hultz was not among them .

Hultz 's ex-wife , Kendra Hultz , did not immediately return a CNN telephone call seeking comment . But she told The New York Times on Saturday that she knew he was in Iraq but had little contact with him and did not know what he was doing .

`` He just disappeared , '' she said .

Another U.S. official with knowledge of Hultz , who spoke on condition of anonymity , said he returned to Iraq in 2006 as a civilian contractor . The official was not authorized to speak to the media .

Sometime after returning to Iraq , Hultz moved into private business .

According to a 2010 interview with al-Hurra television station , Hultz described himself as the chief economic officer of Baghdad-based SAK Commodities , an investment and financing group also known as the Sanna Al Kassir General Trading Company .

SAK Commodities , according to the reports , signed a number of contracts to assist the Ministry of Housing and Construction and construction firms to build houses and other buildings .

As CEO , Hultz met with some of Iraq 's powerful political players , including former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi . Photos of the two men and details of a March 2010 meeting in Baghdad were posted online by various business news groups .

The SAK Commodities website was unavailable Sunday afternoon , and the Baghdad telephone numbers associated with its various online press releases were either disconnected or went unanswered .

As to Hultz , by Sunday he 'd been provided `` all necessary consular services , including a medical check-up and debriefing , '' according to the U.S. Embassy . Diplomats were helping Hultz `` as he considers his plans . ''

`` The Embassy reminds all private American citizens living and working in Iraq to register with the Embassy at travel.state.gov and to pay heed to the Iraq country-specific information , including the current travel warning for Iraq , '' the U.S. government said in its statement .

Tawfeeq reported from Baghdad and Carter reported from Atlanta ; Journalist Mohammed Lazem and CNN 's Gregory Clary and Barbara Starr contributed to this report .

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NEW : Randy Michael Hultz is at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad , after being handed over

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NEW : The embassy says Hultz is a `` private citizen '' who did n't work for the government

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Iraqi lawmkers say the man , who may have gone by various names , was abducted

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A militia tied to a radical Iraqi cleric identified him as a U.S. soldier upon releasing him